Tucson, Ariz. - In five separate incidents over the past week, U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Douglas Station apprehended illegal aliens who had prior arrests for sex crimes. Agents quickly identified these criminal aliens using the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
On Saturday, Douglas agents apprehended a Mexican male with a felony conviction for rape. Agents then arrested two illegal aliens from Mexico on Monday; one who had been arrested for "rape," the other for "sex with a minor under 18." On Wednesday, agents apprehended a Mexican alien who had been previously arrested for "sexual assault on a child." Thursday, agents arrested an illegal alien from the Dominican Republic who had also been convicted of "rape."
Sex offenders are among the criminal aliens attempting to enter the United States on a daily basis. "Because IAFIS can access criminal records from across the nation, this technology has been a key factor in rapidly identifying criminal aliens," said Douglas Station Patrol Agent in Charge Timothy Sullivan. "Removing the criminal element is one of our highest priorities," he said.
Criminal aliens threaten the safety of communities nationwide. With a larger number of criminals attempting illegal entry, Border Patrol agents are more determined than ever to deter and apprehend these individuals to enhance the quality of life of our communities.
IAFIS is a national fingerprint and criminal history system maintained by the FBI. IAFIS provides automated fingerprint search capabilities, latent searching capability, electronic image storage, and electronic exchange of fingerprints and responses, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.